No, but it’s an advantage [more efficient] to use one hand (your writing hand) for logging and the other hand for keying / paddling. See my previous postings for details …
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Hi all,
Just worked Ed, W1EJ, on Little Mountain, W6/NC-430, near point Reyes, on the N. CA coast, north of San Francisco.
Ed does all his activations with a straight key, and an enjoyable banana boat swing. Adds character, and is always good for an instantaneous smile. I chase straight-key activators with the straight key here, of course!
Too many years ago, when I was aiming to obtain my class A license and took the Morse test, I had become quite proficient and at that time in NE England there were several stations who would respond to a CW CQ on 144mhz and I had many CW chats building up my speed. Then work and the travel intervened and radio went into the background for just over 35 years until I retired. Of course I went all the way around the world and lost a day or so in the process but trying to get back into CW once retired has defied me. The problem being that every time I listen to CW it induces sleep and I cannot follow it. This may be a funtion of age but I have not so far found a way round it. I would like to try to chase on CW as that might just keep me awake so if I manage to do that please be patient
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If you’re using a straight key Ken, thumbs up on ur fist.
Those are fighting words good sir lol, CW is not Digital 
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Digital is two state logic (0 and 1). Morse is a two state logic (dit and dah). Same thing?
Digital symbols are made up of 1s and 0s such as 3 (decimal) is 11 (binary). Morse symbols are made up of dits and dahs such as A is dit dah.
Ken’s characterization rings true to me.
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It was a Joke. Hihi
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Congrats Paul! I remember your “CW consternation” when we were on the 2016 NPOTA trip. Keep at it…the skill is like a fine wine…only gets better with age!
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Ken; I have been using paddles more often since I got the SP4 paddles from CW Morse. Today I was activating with the new KH1 and started with the attached paddles but kept flubbing so I switched to my little backup 3D printed straight key right before our contact. I have converted several co-activators to learning or getting back to CW when they saw how easy it makes contacts.
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I find that too - when some Old Timer in a long CW ragchew is droning on usually about his latest ailment.
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Ditto, ditto, and ditto.
Haven’t bought a key, but am nonetheless curious to see how a dyslexic old phart might manage with CW. Probably won’t amount to much, and the challenges might prove insurmountable, but …
True. Or you can just turn the Mini Palm Paddle upside down!
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Personally, I enjoyed getting rid of the “imposter syndrome”. It was only a year or so into my being licensed that the Class A / Class B division within the Full Licence was abolished. Nonetheless, I entered the hobby as a Class B, had a Class B callsign, and couldn’t do CW. I know some CW ops didn’t consider me inferior but some did - with some justification too!
TBH I’m not all that good at CW. But I can activate and chase SOTA with it, and that is the sole reason I had for learning it. It remains the most satisfying, stimulating and enjoyable mode to use for SOTA activating.
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It might seem silly, As i dont do a lot of cw I am just to lazy therefore my reading speed is low 10-12 wpm but when I was being taught by a retirered merchant radio officer he asked everyone what hand they wrote with then sat the key at the opposite hand when asked why he said think about it. So bloody obvious write with one hand and send with other!!!. that way you can keep the qso more proffesional as as you are not fumbling for a mike or pen.
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Tom, Having worked you recently on 2m CW there’s nowt wrong with your sending.
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Hi Paul,
I was going to message you to let you know someone had hijacked your callsign when I saw some CW spots! ;-). Congrats on getting your CW skills to the point you can activate using that mode now. It adds a whole new dimension to a SOTA activation.
Keep it going my friend!!
73, Brad
WA6MM
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Yes, but as you well know Andy, that’s the easy bit! My reading is fine as long as it’s callsign, SOTA reference, report, serial number, TU 73. But when certain stations start asking me random questions like what I’d had for breakfast that morning - I am reminded that I still have a long way to go!
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And as you well know, Tom, there’s a big difference between copying Morse in a comfy chair in a quiet warm shack and on a wind-swept, rain-lashed summit with all the distractions there including brain freeze.
Fortunately, the majority of chasers understand that if they stray far from the standard SOTA exchange, we might not copy everything. I find the problem occurs when the occasional non-SOTA operator - not realising the context - wants to talk about rigs, antennas and weather, or worse, wants a ragchew.
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Ha ha yes, this happens periodically. Actually, as it is rather formulaic, I am OK reading “ANT IS G5RV RIG IS IC706 PWR IS 5W” etc. It’s the more random stuff that remind me I’m nowhere near “fluent”!
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For Paul and all,
As many may already know, speaking of 2-states, ones and zeroes, etc.., what is usually referred to as “CW” or “Morse” is called ON-OFF KEYING in the technical literature.
Will never forget my first QSO in the mode, circa 1955; “sweating bullets” would not be far off.
Ken
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